Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted on charges of obstruction of justice and lying to Congress in a dramatic escalation of President Trump and MAGA movement's retribution campaign against their political enemies – and according to Trump and his supporters, it may not be the last.
"We are just getting started today with this indictment. It's going to get much worse for the Democrats," said lawyer Mike Davis of The Article III Project. Davis is a Trump ally and has advised the president.
Now, the Department of Justice has subpoenaed records tied to the travel of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, according to The New York Times. It's unclear whether Willis herself is a subject of the inquiry or if she will face charges, but it's the next step in Trump's apparent prosecution of his enemies.
Willis, who brought election interference charges against Trump in Georgia, saw her case falter after an appeals court disqualified her over her past relationship with a senior deputy. The ruling, which cited an "appearance of impropriety," was left intact when Georgia's Supreme Court declined to intervene last week.
The DOJ is also investigating New York state Attorney General Letitia James and John Bolton, who was a national security official in Trump's first term.
Comey, who oversaw the FBI during Trump's early presidency, has long been a top MAGA target over his role in the Russia investigation.
The indictment accuses Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017, of making false statements and obstructing justice during congressional testimony in September 2020. The document notes that a grand jury didn’t concur on one of the charges prosecutors originally sought.
The charges stem from questioning in the Senate, where Comey defended the truthfulness of prior testimony where he said he did not authorize FBI investigations into Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be leaked to the press.
A former official who worked under Comey, Andrew McCabe, has claimed the director did, in fact, authorize him to leak to the press, a 2018 inspector general report found. However, the report also found McCabe had made false and misleading statements in the past.
“Comey stated that he did not authorize someone at the FBI to be an anonymous source,” the Justice Department said in a statement on Thursday. “According to the indictment, that statement was false.”
Days before charges were filed, Trump publicly demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi prosecute Comey and other perceived enemies, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Rep. Adam Schiff.
“No one is above the law,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X. “[It] reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions of power accountable for misleading the American people. We will follow the facts in this case.”
Trump later boasted of removing the U.S. attorney who previously declined to pursue charges and replacing him with his personal attorney Lindsey Halligan, who has no prosecutorial background. MAGA leaders cheered the move and the charges against Comey.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn added: “Comey is the first domino to fall – others must fall faster now!”
Legal experts, however, have questioned the strength of the case, according to Axios. Conservative lawyer Andrew McCarthy described the charges as weak, while others warned Trump’s public comments could jeopardize the prosecution.
“Trump’s base is still unsatisfied,” said podcaster Tim Pool. “Many aren’t optimistic that Trump will actually indict others or even succeed with Comey.
In Georgia, the state’s highest court last week rejected Willis’s appeal to return to Trump’s election interference case, leaving the prosecution in limbo. Willis was forced off the case after revelations about her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired.
The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia will decide whether to reassign the case.
If it continues, Trump likely won’t face trial until after his presidency ends in 2029, though several of his co-defendants could be tried sooner.
Four Trump allies, including attorneys Jenna Ellis, Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro, have already pleaded guilty.
Trump, who has labeled Willis “corrupt” and said she “should be in jail,” celebrated the ruling as another defeat for what he calls “illegal Political Lawfare.”
On Truth Social, he wrote: “They went after their Political Opponent at levels never seen before, and LOST. They are now CRIMINALS who will hopefully pay serious consequences for their illegal actions.”
